Blooms!

I am inconsistent in my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, hosted by Carol, at May Dreams Gardens, but I am excited about spring, and wanted to share what I have blooming.  While I'm thinking about 60 to 70 percent of the plants in our yard are U.S. natives, some, locally native, non-natives seem to be in the majority for this time of year.  After looking at the photos, though, it is pretty close that at least the kinds of plants are about that proportion, even though there are more of some of the non-natives, such as the hellebores right now. 

Some of the plants are about finished, such as the pasque flowers and tulips.   I love the spent flowers on the pasque flowers.

Prairie smoke geum is one of my favorite natives.

I am tickled to have picked up several colors of hellebores over the years, and they are doing quite well.  I love the early spring blooms.

The rabbits have not eaten the prairie phlox down so far.  I am pleased to see a few blooms.

The groundplum milkvetch clumps have lots more blooms than at my last post.

Here's another hellebore.

I don't remember if this iris clump has been this short other years.

The perennial geraniums are just opening their blooms.

Bergenias are showing color.

As the daffodils are finishing up, the grape hyacinths are at their prime.

This is rue anemone, a spring ephemeral.

Merry bells is another spring ephemeral I enjoy.

I planted this false Solomon's seal in a tub, since it is a spreader.  It looks like it will need to stop spreading now, since it has no where else to go.

I have been enjoying munching on the violets in my salads.

These are from some salad greens that overwintered.  A friend said this is a mustard of some kind.

It was hard getting a good photo of the bleeding hearts, so I included one from farther out.

Virginia bluebells are one of my favorites.

I hope spring is going well for you.  Because of burning going on in Kansas, our air quality has been poor, so I spent more time inside this week than I wanted to.  I am looking forward to spending more time outside this weekend and next week.  It is supposed to be pretty nice out!

March's Wildflower Wednesday

I'm glad Gail, from Clay and Limestone reminded us on Facebook that it is time for another Wildflower Wednesday.  There is not a lot blooming here in SE Nebraska yet, but spring is early, and there are lots of plants coming up.  I have two photos of each of the wildflowers I am posting, one closer up than the other.

This is a milkvetch of some kind.  I believe it's groundplum milkvetch.

I just planted these by the curb last year.  I am pleased to see them coming up and blooming.

Prairie smoke geum is one of my favorites.

I didn't figure out right away that some pasqueflowers are not native, so did get some in that are not.  I cannot always remember which are which.  These blooms look deeper purple than the ones on the link, but I was thinking these are native ones.

It sure is a beautiful plant, whichever it is!

I need to get more Hepaticas to fill up some spots that are bare before the big plants take up the space.  These go dormant.  It looks like they are past their prime, but still brighten up the space they are in.

Virginia waterleaf does not bloom until later in the season, but the foliage looks as pretty as the blooms, so I decided to include it.

The western and middle of our state are expecting measurable snow today, and they say we could get a trace to an inch.  Let's get it over with now, and let spring weather come back to stay.  I hope things are well with your gardens and families.  There is so much sadness in the world these days.

Changes, Heidi, and the Yard

Heidi, who appeared in many of my header photos, passed away March 1, 2016, at the age of twelve and a half.  She had some lumps for quite awhile, and in the last few months, had trouble going up steps.  She stumbled, and scared us sometimes.  In the last few weeks, it had gotten worse.  Then she started leaking urine.  The medication she went on helped, but then she started having trouble breathing.  I went with them to the vet this time, because I was afraid she wouldn't be coming back with us.  The vet said he was going to be brutally honest, and that it was time.  He said her lungs were filling with fluid.  We sat with her as she passed away. 

I went back to look at photos of her, and decided to do a post showing her over the years, along with the changes we've seen in the yard over time.  I had to start with 2008, because something went haywire with my iPhoto library, and Larry was not able to retrieve the ones I had taken up until then.  I am still sad about that.

Larry said I have too many photos, but I decided to keep them.  This has turned into a photo history of the yard as much or more than a tribute to Heidi. As soon as she saw me with my camera, she was ready to go outside with me and watch the world.

5/19/08:

5/28/08:

6/3/08:

9/21/08:

11/15/08:

6/12/09:

6/23/09:

7/7/09:

8/11/09:

8/11/09:

10/28/09:

4/17/10:

6/21/10:

4/14/10:

5/4/11:

6/18/11:  (I think.)

8/9/11:

2/4/12:

4/26/12:

8/26/12:

8/26/12:

6/6/13:

6/28/13:

7/18/13:

5/22/14:

7/17/14:

5/19/15:

6/15/15:

6/15/15:

 
10/20/15:

10/30/15:

I watch our granddaughter 4 days a week.  She has been a dog person from an early age, and loved Heidi, even though it took awhile for Heidi to get used to her.  She is still asking for Heidi.  I feel so bad for her.  I couldn't find photos of the grandsons with her, except for the one from 2011.  They come over on Saturdays.  The 8 year old loved playing with her when he got a chance, but she was usually in the basement when they were over, because the 4 year old was afraid of her. 

Larry and I have had 2 other dogs besides Heidi, and I didn't mind them, but I did bond more with Heidi, even though I got upset when she scratched on a closet door, and my Hoosier  cupboard door, trying to get to my chocolate.  She also dug some of my plants up in the back yard.  The friend we got our other yellow lab, Katie from asked us to take Heidi, shortly after Katie passed away, because the former student he gave her to couldn't keep her after all.  She and their other dog or dogs got into too much trouble.  As it turns out, she was mistreated there, and came to us with issues, some of which she outgrew, some she didn't.  I myself am not a dog person.  As a girl, I was afraid of dogs.  I used to choose the ways to walk to school that would avoid me being barked at by dogs.  I do not want to get another dog. I think I am in the minority, but they tie you down, and cost lots of money for their care.